NY Senate shelves plan to allow local minimum wage increases
A proposal to let cities in New York state set their own minimum wages was shelved by lawmakers in the state Senate on Monday — dealing a setback to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and others who want the state to relinquish its total control of the wage.
Instead of scheduling a vote on the measure, the Senate’s Labor Committee moved to send the measure to the Finance Committee. The procedural move was dismissed as a delaying tactic intended to prevent an up-or-down vote on the measure in the Senate.
The bill, sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, would allow local governments including New York City to set a minimum wage that is higher than the state’s minimum. New York’s minimum wage is now $8.75 an hour and is already set to increase to $9 per hour at the end of the year.